If You're Going to Live in the Country eBook

For the first, nothing is better than newspaper classified
advertising, particularly that found in the Sunday
paper. If he would have a farm far from the madding
crowd, there are the farm catalogues issued by a variety
of real estate organizations. These can be most
helpful if intelligently read. And the prospective
buyer of a fancy farm or sporting estate will do best
to turn to the advertising columns of those magazines
where the editorial scope deals with that type of
country life.

[Illustration: AN OLD FARMHOUSE IN THE ROUGH

Photo by John Runyon]

Consulting such advertising for whatever kind of country
home is wanted will give the prospective buyer some
definite impressions. Of course he won’t
know what any of the places actually look like, though
reading between the lines may give him some idea; but
he will at least have gleaned a little information
as to prices in a given locality and have the names
of brokers with offerings that might be of interest.
A decade ago, if one really wanted a country place
one began looking at actual pieces of property at
this point, either with or without a broker.
During the past two or three years, however, a novel
source of information regarding such property has
come into being.

It is somewhat of a cross between a news reel moving
picture theatre and a real estate broker’s office.
There is a projection room, a small moving picture
machine, and an extensive file of films of various
properties that are on the market. Here the prospective
buyer is shown shorts of all those listed with that
particular clearing house. After the showing,
if one or more places appeal sufficiently so that the
prospect wants to visit them, he is given the broker’s
name and address. This saves much time and hours
of travel for all concerned.

In an hour or two spent so shopping, you can get first
impressions of more places than you could possibly
visit in a month of week-ends. Thus you can limit
your selection of places to be visited. The cost
of this novel method of showing property is met by
an arrangement whereby seller and broker reward the
picture house if the sale is consummated.

When you actually begin to look at property, a few
don’ts are in order if you would steer a fair
course to the country home you have in mind.

Don’t expect any place to have all the requirements
included in your mental picture.

Don’t buy a place that does not appeal to you.
Each year you will like it less.

Don’t buy a bargain without finding out why
it is below the prevailing price. Only too often
it proves extremely expensive.

Don’t disparage a piece of property with the
naive idea that by so doing the price will be lowered.
You only arouse resentment on the part of the owner.

Don’t make a pest of yourself by too frequent
visits to a place that attracts you.

Don’t try to eliminate the real estate broker.
If he really knows his territory, his services are
worth far more than his fee which is paid by the seller
anyway.